I was a little uncertain about this one when I first started but then the more I read the more I loved it.

It feels like Harry Potter meets Shadow and Bone in a lot of ways while also being unique. I loved the school concept and the differing types of magic each character has. I'm also a big fan of the "lost magic" suddenly reappearing concept because there's so much you can do with it. There are numerous paths to take and the one taken in this book was a new, interesting take and I fell in love with it.

The FMC and MMC start off very much as enemies and the author does really well not falling into the "insta-love" trap some authors do. The slow building of trust from the FMC fits her personality perfectly. She's naturally against trusting anyone but herself because of how she was raised and the author does really well keeping to that persona and growing it.

I think the only critique I would have is that the ending is somewhat anti-climactic. I was expecting a big cliffhanger or a massive battle or something to make you hold your breath but that doesn't really happen. It just sort of ends with any kind of closure at all and hoping for more in the second one. I will definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out.

Thank you Met Gallery and the Author for the copy of this book.

I was instantly drawn in upon reading the book's blurb. The blend of enemies-to-lovers, magic academy, and Greek Mythology was compelling.

The reimagining of Greek Mythology was skillfully integrated into the narrative. The magic academy evoked Hogwarts, with its Slytherin house ambiance. The magic system was distinctive and engaging. Mages are assigned a grimoire based on their elemental magic, which starts blank and displays spells to the user as needed, while remaining blank to others.

Although the enemies-to-lovers aspect did not align with my expectations, as I prefer the gradual development of love and hate, I still found it enjoyable.

The concept was captivating, and I highly recommend it to fans of dark academia, magic, trials, fated mates, and dual POV. This is a series I plan on devouring! ⚔️

4 🌟 bravo!

What a clever twist on Greek mythology - a subject I rather fancy!

My only complaints are that 1) I wish there was a little more relationship building between Kiara and Lucian. Their relationship was very black and white, and neither of them really did anything to learn about the other.
And 2) there were SO many secrets between the Raven Society members where the storyline could’ve been filled a little more.

———
Kiara is a nameless - a “mundane” hired by the King as a silent assassin. You get a job, you get in, kill, and leave. In and out, you never hesitate.

When she’s assigned to kill Prince Lucian, Kiara breaks into the academy to follow through. Only Lucian catches her first, and she gets dragged into a magic ceremony where she discovers that she’s not mundane, but has been gift a very rare magic - starfire.

Kiara learns that she’s is tied to Prince Lucian by their Heartstring, and they are sent on a journey together to break the curse against his family. Along the way they learn to trust each other and fall in love.

The books ends by them magically walking through a mirror back to the academy, where Lucian fills in his friends about everything they learned.

———
Overall, I’d give the story a 3.75/4 star rating as I felt there were so many details that were left out/could’ve been built up a little more.

Loved this enemies to lovers fantasy. The world was full of dark magic where the fated ones must work together to vanish the dark corruption that has a hold of the king. The magic system is unique with a Grimoire, and I love the dark academic vibes it has going throughout. I want to know more about the Academy of Magic and can not wait to see where this series goes.

This was a fun and easy read. I love dark academia genres, and this delivers exactly that. The story reads more YA since the female main character is around 18 or so, she is an assassin who was raised to hate anyone with magic.

She infiltrates the Academy of Magic to kill Lucian the Dark Prince, but discovers she possesses magic herself. This leads to both a journey of self-discovery and an internal conflict as she grapples with her assassination mission.

There's an intriguing push and pull between her and Lucian, with her celestial magic and his shadow magic drawing them together.

The story weaves together magic, grimoires, curses, and secret societies into its narrative. As the first book in the series, it establishes the foundation while hinting at more intense developments—including possible betrayal—to come.

I particularly appreciate that Kiara and Lucian's relationship reaches a satisfying resolution rather than ending on a cliffhanger. The next book will focus on a different couple as they work to solve the curse.

The romance remains relatively mild, featuring several intimate kisses and one tastefully closed-door scene toward the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to see how the series develops.

Thank you NetGalley and Ever King for this book.

Okay—that was deliciously dark, wickedly clever, and way too addictive for my own good.

Academy of Villains isn’t just a book—it’s a full-blown obsession. Ever King throws us into a world where being bad isn’t just accepted—it’s required. And somehow, I found myself falling for every morally gray character like it was a group sport.

This story owns its premise: a school for villains where power games, secrets, and backstabbing are part of the curriculum—and love? Oh, it’s messy, dangerous, and absolutely irresistible. The banter crackles, the tension simmers, and the plot? Twistier than a snake in a pretzel factory.

The world-building is rich and immersive, with just the right amount of darkness to make you feel like you’re sneaking into forbidden halls after curfew. And the characters? Complex, layered, and dripping with charisma. You’ll hate to love them—and love to hate them. Which, let’s be honest, is half the fun.

By the end, I wasn’t just hooked—I was fully initiated into the academy. Crown me, curse me, give me book two right now.

The book was fascinating as far as I have read but the new chapters and additions to the book will add more thrill I'm sure . I haven't posted the review on Social media yet as I will read the upgraded version and give my thoughts at once. Kiara and Lucian's dynamic was tension filled, mysterious and everything you can ask for in a assassin and target romance. The magic - I have always loved magic and the unique magic twist the characters were given was amazing and so knowledgeable and entertaining.. can't wait to read the updated version and get more fun

I received this as an ARC, and this is my honest review.

I liked this, the concept was great. The magic system started out amazing but towards the end felt a little cheesy with the names of the spells. I liked the story though, it felt like Hogwarts meets Percy Jackson, with a sprinkle of Throne of Glass. I love a mythology retelling, and the little Easter eggs that were sprinkled in from Greek mythology was a nice touch. I'd gladly read book two.

Academy of Villains is absolutely addictive! A Young Adult dark fantasy romance full of twists and magic. I couldn’t put it down! The Greek mythology references and the Heartstring bonds make it a great romance read for mature teens. I loved it!!

⋆｡°✩ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ✩°｡⋆

ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ : Academy of Villains
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ : Ever King
ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ : Book 1 in the Academy of Villains Series

The title is what drew me to this book. An Academy of Villains?! Yes please. Then i saw that the book has Greek Mythology inspiration and i fell in love. I have always loved Greek Mythology!

This book is like Harry Potter, meets Greek mythology, meets secret society's, meets Dark academia!! (even a hint of gossip girl!?!?!?! throwback!) I really enjoyed all the mysteries and clues they needed to search for! (We even get a one bed trope! yey!)

The magic is this book is really unique! I loved how books were involved with the magic! I could just picture in my head a magically glowing grimoire popping up next to some kick a s s magic!

Kiara is an Assassin sent to kill the prince who attends the Academy. Kiara's determination to do her job somehow ends her up enrolled in the Academy herself and you get to see her unravel a world she knows nothing about. Lucien is the Prince who's magic is Shadows (We love a shadow prince!) he is drawn to Kiara straight away, i just adore how all consuming his thoughts of her was. Not just the magic but himself as well. The romance between them is slow burn and is a definite enemies to lovers. I love how there relationship grew, nothing too fast like some stories.

Side character? we have plenty! I'm fully invested in the boys of Raven now! I cannot wait to see how things progress with each of them, there was a little foreshadowing of what's to come next and i was so happy! PLEASE tell me they are all getting their own book? Especially Tobias and Kaspian!

Now I'm sat here really wanting book 2! IM so excited for the next journey

Dnf @ 16%. I really wanted to like Academy of Villains. The premise sounded right up my street. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me.

The biggest hurdle was the writing style. It leans heavily into a stream-of-consciousness approach that made it hard to connect with the main characters. I kept waiting for the story to settle into a rhythm, but instead, I felt like I was being dragged through a chaotic internal monologue with very little grounding.

What really broke it for me, though, was how the main character seemingly forgets her entire life as an assassin the moment the story kicks off. It felt like such a strange, abrupt shift with no real explanation. It made it hard to take her seriously or stay invested in her arc.

Maybe it picks up later, but at 16%, I just couldn’t push through any longer. Not for me, but I can see others enjoying it if they vibe with the writing style.

Thank you netgalley and authoreverking for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is very easy, but it is a YA so that makes sense, and in a way that’s good but for me the story way maybe sometimes a little bit to much on the nose with not enough suspense.

To enjoy the story you need to accept the easiness and to be a bit more laid back, but if you do that I felt that the story was better then and still nice to read. Some things at in the story really don’t make sense (e.g., why is she sticking around in the first place after failing her mission?) and will frustrate the hell out of you, but if you remind yourself to not think to hard about that and just go with the flow it’s still a very enjoyable story.

The characters in this story are not extra ordinary, but they are well written which is nice. I especially appreciate this as this is the first book in a connecting story in which I believe/feel we will switch between characters that weee introduced in this book, and in my opinion this set up is done well.

Personally I am a sucker for magical school settings and I think this is a very nice young adult (around 15 years old) story for people who love these kind of stories when they fell under the children category (e.g. school of good and evil) who look for one that is a bit more grown up with tropes that are popular in the romantasy genre (like one-bed (but without spice!), enemies to lovers and touch her/him and die) but still not to much that it might become to much or inappropriate, and I think that is one of the strongest points of this story.

All in all it was still an enjoyable read for me and I think this series will develop well.

I was pulled in right from the beginning. Started off really well and had me invested in the characters but then the pacing became inconsistent. Parts of the beginning were rushed, not much was seen of the characters in the academy. Multiple flash forwards of weeks at a time so the fmc's progress was happening behind the scenes. Then there were parts that I wish did move along a little faster.

It's meant to be enemies to lovers but the enemies part felt very one sided since the mmc was so nonchalant about her trying to kill him and easily moved on. It was more enemies to somewhat intrigued reluctant allies to insta-lovey. About the 70% mark is where I didn't feel as invested in the story anymore. I felt like every obstacle in their way was pretty easily resolved with not much resistance from the villain or other forces at play.

This book has it all you could want from a dark academia book! Combine that with greek mythology and you are in for a wild ride. This book had me hooked from the first chapter, I loved the badass FMC assassin with a tragic backstory and the cursed MMC prince.

The tropes in this book include fated mates, one bed, shadow daddy, unique magic system and of course all the feels with the romance.

Unfortunaly this book felt a bit rushed and the actual quest (FMC infiltrating the school to kill the royal bloodline) seemed to be almost an afterthought. I would have liked the pacing and world building to be little bit more slower, which is rare.

But all and all, this was a good read and I did enjoy it.

Book Review: Academy of Villains: Nyx and Erebus (Greek Mythology Retelling) by Ever King

Academy of Villains: Nyx and Erebus by Ever King is an engaging and twisty retelling of Greek mythology that takes a fresh spin on the timeless gods Nyx and Erebus. The novel transports readers into a world where these ancient deities attend an academy filled with mystery, power struggles, and dark secrets.

The story centers around Nyx, the goddess of night, and Erebus, the god of darkness. The chemistry between them is palpable from the start, and their complicated relationship adds a layer of depth to the story. Both characters are well-written and multi-dimensional—Nyx is strong, but also grappling with her vulnerabilities, while Erebus is brooding and complex, with motivations that keep you guessing. The way their relationship evolves through the book feels real and compelling, making it easy to root for them despite their flaws.

Ever King’s writing brings a fresh, modern twist to Greek mythology while staying true to the gods’ original complexity. The academy setting works well, creating a unique mix of ancient and modern that keeps things interesting. There’s a lot of tension throughout the novel—not just between the characters, but in the wider world they inhabit—and it keeps the plot unpredictable. Every page seems to reveal something new, and the twists will definitely keep you on your toes.

The pacing is spot-on, never feeling too slow or rushed. The romance between Nyx and Erebus builds slowly, but you’re hooked by their dynamic right from the beginning. It’s a balance of romance, action, and emotional depth that doesn’t feel forced.

Overall, Academy of Villains: Nyx and Erebus is a dark, captivating read that’s perfect for anyone who loves mythology with a modern edge. It’s got the right mix of suspense, romance, and divine drama to keep you turning pages, and if you’re into books that explore complex relationships set against a rich, supernatural backdrop, this one’s definitely worth checking out.

What a ride! We’ve got a badass ex-assassin sneaking into a magic academy, secret societies, fated mates, and a cursed prince—basically, all the drama you could ever want in a fantasy romance.

Kiara’s mission is simple: take out the prince, end the royal bloodline, and go on her merry way. But plot twist—she actually has magic (shocking, I know), and suddenly, she’s tangled in a web of dark academia secrets, dangerous alliances, and a romance that had me internally screaming. The chemistry? 🔥 The angst? Delicious. The tension? A+ material.

That being said, some twists were super predictable, and I kinda wished we got more academy life—like, give me more of the classes, trials, and morally gray scheming! But honestly, I was still eating it up. If you love a good enemies-to-lovers with a side of magic and betrayal, this one’s for you.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! Can’t wait for the next book! 🖤✨

[3 stars]

Entertaining read. You sort of get a combination of everything in here. Magic school, check. FMC that is an assassin with a tragic backstory, check. Dark and dangerous MMC who is also a prince, check. Secret societies, check. Trials and tribulations, check. One bed trope, check. Honestly the point I’m trying to make is that while I am a sucker for all of the above, it was a lot to tackle in one book. The author was trying to include a bunch of popular fantasy elements throughout this first novel that the main plot felt a bit murky. Also I never got a “villainous” vibe from this novel despite its title….

However you do get what is advertised! Academy of Villains feels like entering Hogwarts (for a few seconds) but with FMC influences from Throne of Glass while predominantly reading like a Zodiac Academy novel. So Zodiac Academy fans, this one is for you! I believe that the future installments will focus on the other members of the raven society which could be intriguing so I won’t count myself out of this series yet.

All in all, had fun but was left wanting more depth and refinement out of the characters and plot.

Note || Thank you immensely to NetGalley & Ever King for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The cover and the title roped me in! I was so intrigued! I think this has all the right themes and tropes to be great but somewhere in the middle I lost my interest but still liked it! You’ll love this if you’re a big fan of dark academia, great banter, enemies to lovers, shadow daddy 😏, and one bed tropes.

I didn't really like this book. It seemed like a mash up of fan fictions from a few popular series. They even use the line "The magic chooses the mage." The details seem unrealistic. This is supposed to be an academy for advanced students, and yet noone notices that the new student knows absolutely nothing about magic. The idea of the grimoires was an interesting one, but it is entirely under-used throughout the book. The description says the book was inspired by mythological epics (its even in the title description) but this did not come across well for me. The actual quest, or journey, part of the book seemed an afterthought to be rushed through at the end and I'm not sure how the characters are supposed to fit with the greek myth being claimed as inspiration.

Greek mythology, Harry Potter-esque academia, & a cool magic system… what more could you want in a book?!

I was hooked from the first chapter. This book was very easy to follow/read (which is appreciated in fantasy) & the characters are extremely relatable thru their trials/everyday lives. I cannot wait for book 2!